Your Core Teaching Beliefs and Why They Matter

Every boat must have an anchor, every tree has roots. Without these deep, unseen elements to ground them, the structures are unmoored and subject to fall. So, too, with teaching. As teachers, our actions must be grounded in carefully considered questions about our practice.  Thinking about and developing a personal set of pedagogically sound beliefs roots us in purpose and integrity. Here, then, are a few questions to help you reflect on your core beliefs about students, teaching, and our profession:

1) Why am I a teacher?

This question may seem very basic, and it is. But it is by no means simple. This question asks you to reflect on the experiences and beliefs you bring to the work. What motivates you? What has brought you to this place at this time? What do you hope to achieve by teaching? Deeply considering these questions will help you find your voice and motivations for teaching. On those difficult-to-wake-up days, that can be a helpful reminder.

2) Who are my students, and what do I believe about them?

This question is essential. Are my students 6 or 16? What do I know about their developmental needs? And who are they as people? What do I believe about their capabilities and potential? How will this knowledge impact lesson design? We often speak of classroom management as if it were simply a list of rules or procedures. These are important elements, to be sure, but without a relationship of genuine caring and trust, management devolves into power struggles and coercion. The classroom may be controlled, but is not a community. Vanessa Rodriguez, in The Teaching Brain, points out that effective teachers not only present information, but that they plan for interactions based on both their knowledge of students and the content. Having an in-depth understanding of student needs, interests, and humanity will more effectively guide instructional decisions and provide opportunities for a richer intellectual and emotional exchange of ideas.

3) What do I believe about schools and school systems?

This is a big one. We consistently hear messages about the failures of schools. Recent news such as the one describing an Alabama Teacher of the Year leaving the profession, or about overreacting school administrators, or violence towards students, can discourage us. Schools – whether public or private, religious or secular – have a history and context. To be most our most effective, it benefits us to know what those histories are so we can better sort what we can or cannot support. What is the story of your school? Your district?

4) What practices will sustain my long-term engagement with the profession?

As a teacher, it is at times hard to be an optimist. Colleagues may resist change; district initiatives come and go; political candidates make negative or reactive statements. These, combined with the repetitious, sometimes tedious elements of attendance-taking, grading, and assessments can work to dampen enthusiasm for the job.  Optimism and hope, though, are essential elements of long-term engagement with our work. As you look around your work place, who has maintained their zest for teaching? Is there a person whose practice you admire? How have they sustained their long-term commitment to students? The quiet resolve of a less-popular colleague might surprise you. Conversely, the showmanship of a well-known faculty member might be exhausting. Finding your own voice, your preferred research-based methods, and your own teaching pace in the midst of political and site-based power struggles is essential. And conferences, national organizations, membership in content area projects – participation in any of these can keep our practice current, provide new strategies, and offer opportunities to befriend like-minded colleagues.

These four questions move from the immediate, personal perspective to a longer-term, outward-looking vision. We start with ourselves and look up. As with classroom practice, an effective teacher continually shifts from the micro to the macro lens, and considers the ways in which core beliefs impact planning. In moving that lens outward, remembering what we can or cannot control will help us prioritize the most effective tasks. Elena Aguilar, in The Art of Coaching, writes, “Here’s the thing about beliefs: we all have them and they drive our actions.”

What beliefs drive your actions? Where are your own teaching roots?

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